Happenings

 Here's half of my six on Easter Day and Calvin's first Sunday of many many more wearing a white shirt and tie.  

 He looked so adorable I put it on the next week when I took him to visit Camille's classroom and he needed to look his best. She was in the midst of her special week and it was mystery share day and she wanted to share her favorite thing in the world. She asked me to carry  Calvin in a box that she had decorated with signs like, "Special Delivery" and "Fragile". 

 Camille was cast as Tiger Lily in her school play, PETER PAN. 

 It was a rather boring role. She mostly delivered lines like "UGGA, UGGA". But she made a beautiful indian princess with her feathers and fringes parading around on stage.

Kennon spent her spring break in Washington DC with other 8th graders on a school trip. I feel like it's starting already and I don't like it. Our family is starting to break up and change from the good old days.  We had our spring break and she had hers. 

 Without Kennon around things were just fine though. We even went on a vacation without her and Dad. The other five kids and I  drove up north to the mountains of New Hampshire and stayed in a small waterpark hotel. We will definitely be back. It was only $100 for a room that included the waterpark. And it was the perfect size for a mother trying to tend a 5 month old and keep track of 4 other kids in the water. Kennon and Brent don't do so well in hotel rooms with all those kids so we just planned it with out them. 

Calvin didn't cry once the whole vacation. He gets rather bored and nervous at home all day and it was much better for him to sit on the sidelines of a waterpark then on the sidelines of my kitchen. 

There was no pool. Just three big slides that they each went up and down over a hundred times. I let them stay till 10 the first night and we were back at 8 a.m the next morning. 

And if you get want to head the other direction than the mountains there is always the sea. Take your pick.  (I love NH!)

Even if it's too cool to swim your are still at the beach, right? 

We went there a few weeks ago for Monday FHE because it was 80 degrees and it seemed like perfect beach weather.  But driving to the beach the temperature starting dropping by the minute and by the time we got there it was only 65 and quite breezy. It is always 15 degrees cooler on the coast then our house and in NH that isn't a good thing. 

After getting out we all decided it was freezing and maybe we should just leave. But Brent started tossing his football around on and we just played keep away to stay warm. Marcus doesn't like football so headed out to test the water and was soon wading in up to his chin.  Once again Calvin preferred being on the sidelines of beach ball then family home evening on the couch. It's nice to have him portable and not crawlable.  Pretty much the perfect age if you ask me. 

We went kite flying on a bright sunny day recently.  I  passed people flying them on the way home from church and suggested  it after we had lunch. We headed back out to Wagon Hill. 

 One kite and 5 kids = Not enough kites/too many fites

 Marcus finally got his turn. 

It was Sunday so Marcus is still in his button up.  He lost the tie and added the hat. 

Kennon is taking some great pictures. It's a helpful hobby because it keeps her wanting to go on family outings. She likes the opportunity to practice. 

not your typical mother's day post

Brent had a great weekend. I know, I know it was mother's day. But this was Brent's kind of weekend.

We were so happy to have some dental school buddies and their families come for the weekend. Jonas (above) the single guy is living in Bangor, Maine and Dave and Steph have been on Long Island since we parted ways in Buffalo. They met in the middle at our house. It has rained for days here but what do you know. . perfect weather for the three days they were here. 

Brent took advantage of good weather and available muscles and decided that this would be a great weekend to start in on the deck project. They thought it would be even more fun to work in matching outfits. Sometime during this day we sent them to the grocery store for hot dogs. They came back with a great story to share. 

In the grocery store they ran into one of Brent's patients. After saying hello the patient asked Brent "So . . .  this your boy?" pointing at Dave. Dave and Brent just stood there confused, trying to figure out the exact meaning of the word choice"boy".  He continued,  " I know you have like 6 kids, is this your son?" 

 Dave is 10 years younger than Brent.

The rest of the day all we heard out of Dave was "This your boy?" Then they would laugh till they cried.  

Brent took his boy out on the yard and put him to work that afternoon. Dave was feeling a little under the weather but Brent wanted to teach his boy how to work. 

So after a year we are finally embarking on our deck project. See the sliding glass door to nowhere? 

They got all the holes dug. We have plenty do before the next visit. It will be slow going without "his boy" though so no promises. 

The younger boys Crew-5, Marcus-4, Trey -3, Beck 5 months, Calvin 5 months had a great time hanging out. The babies kept us in a constant rotation of naps, nursings, and trips up and down the many flights of stairs. Every time we heard a cry from above we would guess which baby we heard. We eventually discovered we couldn't recognize our own babies cry and sometimes mixed them up even when they were awake. Brent once held Beck for five minutes singing to him before he noticed it wasn't his Calvin. Coordinating two busy napping and feeding schedules made it practically impossible to go anywhere all day.  I don't think either of us cared though. We had plenty to discuss -husbands, babies born two days apart, and the good old days in Buffalo and the days went so fast. We each got out to run once a day but couldn't even get that coordinated to go together. No pictures of our twin boys though, can you believe it?  Now they have to come back for sure.  

 The older boys loved the piles of sand that the Dad's dug up and only once so far has someone fallen in. It was Marcus of course. 

The men stayed busy working and playing in the backyard next to their sons.  Steph and Dave's boys enjoy having a backyard for a change since they are stuck in an apartment for all four years of his oral surgery residency.  Only two left.

 This is a worm house created by Marcus, Crew and Trey. Just in case  that wasn't obvious.

We had a weenie roast in the back yard and we had so much dirt on all our kids at the end of each day it was almost like camping. I gave them squirt bottles and thy chased each other around and that helped out with the dirt but not the fights.


It was so much fun and we really hope they all come back. We stayed up late and laughed hard and the boys all ended up still friends at the end. Even the big boys (Brent, Dave and Jonas) who tease each other relentlessly. We talked a lot about all the other people we like and miss from Buffalo. Richard Smith came up a lot. We wished he was here frying up Buffalo wings for us in the kitchen. He is out on a boat off the California Coast now.


So we looooove visitors! If you are a friend or family to Brent and Kashann and have ever considered coming East for travel, PLEASE know that you are so welcome. 


 And guess what Fieldings? We are having AC installed any day now so we are good to go for another family reunion I believe. That would've made all the difference wouldn't it?


Happy Mother's day to you all. I have to admit that I hate Mothers Day's since I moved away from my mom. It's not because I miss my Mom so much (though I do) but I it's that I hate how self absorbed I have become when I am the only Mom around to be spoiled.  I always end up feeling sorry for myself all day because it's pretty much like any other Sunday. The thing is it's been 16 years for us and Brent is still trying to figure out how to make his wife happy on Birthdays, Christmas's and Mother's day.


We ordered two new leather couches and they came on 
Wednesday. As he carried in couch #1 he told me, "Happy Mother's Day. This is your Mother's Day Present". Then in came couch #2 and he called out, "This is my Father's Day present, Don't worry about getting me anything." And honestly he means that. They were a lot of money and we definitely don't need to spend anything more on each other.


After 15 plus years with me though you think he'd have learned I don't want expensive gifts delegated to Mother's day.  I just want a nice note, a little bouquet, something a little more unexpected than the couch we had been waiting for the the last month.  Anyone understanding me on this one?

The thing is he is very sweet to me almost all the time so I just hate myself all day for feeling bad over grocery store $5 flower arrangements, a simple card or chocolates on holidays. Why do we have to show our love on a specific day just because the nation declared it's the day to show our love. . . right? But then friends ask or mother calls at the end of a yet another long day of Kashann pouting and asks, "So are they all spoiling you for mother's day? " . . .  and I just change the subject.


And the thing is he doesn't always miss. Once in while he catches me off gaurd and has thought enough ahead that he has something he hands me. I don't know if he's done it yet for mothers day to be specific,  (but then I'm not his mother anyway, right?) but I know for instance this year he handed me a surprise on valentines day. It was a diamond necklace.  I was so surprised/pleased I cried. I figured the tears would reinforce the "You did good" and he wouldn't ever miss again. (As a side note I took the necklace in to exchange it. It was too fancy to go with anything in my closet. I ended up just returning it and bought food storage with the money. This is not something I always do though.)


I know that I have an awesome husband who has his own way and timeline for showing his love.


 Saturday Brent gave me a haircut.  After finishing he hugged me and said, "Happy Mother's Day. It's your mother's day haircut". That really should count shouldn't it?


Or the fact that he even bought the new leather couches for me because I was so sick of our microfiber couch that I had scrubbed so many times that the fabric had disintegrated.   I made him move the ugly couch to the basement months ago even though he said it looked fine still. Then I kept dragging him furniture shopping to fill the space that I created until he finally pulled out his credit card.


He fixes every little thing around here I break or am just too lazy to learn how to get it to work. I love him for that.


And his biggest gift is I get to stay home everyday and be a mom only. I work on anything that I think is important from laundry and dishes to other stuff like painting doors spontaneously or rearranging the contents of my kitchen cabinets just because. He doesn't tell me to put my kids in day care and get a job so we can be a two income family. I love him for that. I have had the best years home with these kids and luckily many more to come since he let me have so many.  I got it all figured out don't I?   :)

So this has been very therapeutic and I think I sorted it all out. One thing I know.  No matter how much a poor husband does a wife will think it is never enough. And it is always better to count your blessings instead of compare your blessings isn't it? 


Better luck next year  I guess as far as flowers go. How do you think this post effects those chances?

        Kennon had way too many girls over the other day. Marcus was way too happy about it too.

 How lucky can you be . . . this many pretty girls to hang with. . . 

and you are only four.

 We pick up tons of little plastic toys for Marcus at our awesome swap shop. . . for free.
I don't believe in spending money on toys. Not in this town. Too many people with only 1 or 2 kids and when they get tired of them they end up at my house after they dump them off for us. I love freecycling.
The best thing about it is that you just take them back anytime you want. That's why it's called a swap. I think I might have become a yankee just for the yankee swap.
So Marcus is also a really big fan of free stores. He knows he always gets to come away with one thing when he is lucky enough to dump the trash with Mom that week. And he packs one of these guys around with him wherever he goes. And if we happen to leave one at your house or in a shopping cart, no big deal. There is plenty more where they came from.

 Doesn't my Kennon have a great hobby? She actually is becoming a bit annoying with her photography. I am no longer allowed to use her photographs without her permission.  TAKEN WITH MY CAMERA AND MY SON. She thinks it's against the law or something and I am stealing them for my blog. Again- my camera, my son. I don't think she has a leg to stand on.

 Beautiful NH skies today for our Easter Weekend.

 The kids went with Dad to an Easter Egg hunt down by the river. They were five minutes late and it was already over. Luckily the Easter Bunny was still hanging around and Marcus got a picture with him.

I took this one myself. I am not going to edit it either. I want to remember how many scratches my 4 month old had on his nose someday. 

By the way, this kid looks so Fielding to me. I see my brother Jeremy, I see my sister Alainna, I see Caroline- who is very Fielding. Basically he looks less and less like his dad and bro as he grows up. 

Happy Easter!

The combination of Kennon as family photographer and Kashann as over zealous remodeller has really killed my blog lately. I don't have any other hobbies now besides painting. About once a month I go through all the pics she posts on the computer and post a few and write about them. It's not the kind of blogging I like. I miss writing. And all the good stuff my kids say and do is getting forgotten. . . unless Kennon got it on camera. It is just so lame, I know it is.  But I just can't get into writing lately. My head seems to be all jumbled up and the words just don't pour out of me. See what I mean? Does pour out of me even make sense? They say you loose brain power when you are pregnant. Six times was just too much for mine I guess. So if I can't write interesting anymore . . . or at least right now at this time. . .  I will at least attempt to get the necessary stuff on here. Well written or not I just can't keep neglecting my job. 


I maintain a blog for the purpose of writing the stuff that my husband and kids say and do. It's not just about embarrassing them publicly. The recorded stories are for a more noble cause. I don't want to forget this good stuff. And in the defense of embarrassing your children, I always keep in mind, "Will this embarrass them when they are OLDER. . . or might they be eternally grateful to their mother that I told these stories?" And if it is the latter I think it is my job to write them down. 


Now you all know Savannah hates anyone to say anything about her and she has always been that way. Even back in the 2nd grade when I would leave home to attend her parent teacher conference she would tell me, "Mom, don't say anything about me!".  So with Savannah I really do have to be careful. She doesn't give me near as good of material lately anyway. 


I think it might be safe to say this little thing though. I drive the girls to school most mornings this winter to be nice. It saves them 15 minutes of time and we take 15 minutes away every morning for scripture reading so I think it's a good trade off. Plus it makes cuter outfits possible. They can wear the cute open toed shoes in the middle of winter and the leather biker jacket even on a rainy day because they get dropped off right in front of the school. They often suffer with these choices on the way home every day walking but I guess it's worth it because they continue to not dress appropriately for the weather. I get tired of nagging. 


So this morning as I dropped off Savannah I couldn't help but laugh noticing her stylish winter outfit and also the LACK of ANYTHING else. Almost every day she comes home with  nothing but her ipod. No backpack, handbag, purse, ukulele- nada. She leaves everything in her locker every day. She tells us that she doesn't need any of it. She apparently manages to complete all her homework/studying/ukulele practicing during the school hours and doesn't need to bother with it after school. Every year I keep thinking that her work load will increase and Savannah will actually need to do HOMEwork like the rest of us do/did, but so far she remains above it all. She used to get it done on the 15 minute bus ride home.  But somehow now that she walks she has figured out how to get it done even BEFORE the buses leave. Incredible!  Her grades are really good and we are all mystified how she gets by without studying. We are also all in awe of her awesome artistic abilities and ability to manipulate something average like a pair of white sneakers into a unique work of art on her feet.


Kennon on the other hand keeps a daily planner and checks off assignments each night as she completes them. She often stays up late with flashcards she has made studying for Spanish or history. Like Savannah she pretty much gets straight A's. It doesn't really seem fair that Savannah makes no flash cards and lugs no backpack and gets the same grades. 


Three cheers for Brent and Kashann who finished the basement. We are all so glad about the January flood now the work is all done. And we actually made some money off the flood even with new laminate flooring.   I am trying to convince Brent to let me move our sectional down there and clear up the living room upstairs for NEW FURNITURE. It's always fun to have an excuse to go furniture shopping for date night.  I like it, he hates it though. Shopping/spending money that is. Probably not a good date after all. 


 Kennon has taken over decorating down there. Last Saturday I came home from an errand and found her out she was out spray painting frames and vases, recovering bulletin boards, and stealing baskets, throw pillows, chairs, mirrors, etc from all the other rooms in our house. (So much for Brent having a man cave.  Kennon is claiming it for her own.)


She planned a party/ basement open house and invited ten friends over Friday night. She says her friends are mostly vegans so no need to cook much and I know they don't eat many sweets either (they all left their birthday cake and ice cream pretty much untouched last time they were over) so I guess I will just throw together a big green salad? 


Camille continues to be my baby holder. I caught her a few days ago at a museum with her arms wrapped in front of her bouncing up and down. She WASN'T holding the baby. She laughed and admitted that she constantly catches herself doing that even at school. She holds him so much that way. She is so wonderful with him. I love her for it. And so does Calvin. He is so happy with her and it is amazing how a 10 year old could possibly be so good with a little baby. 


Everyone always calls our house to have our 12 or 14 year old babysit. They are booked on weekends. Those girls are okay. Kennon is an awesome babysitter if you want your floor swept and mopped. She has a reputation for working hard after the kids go to bed. Savannah cleans up a bit also, so she says, but from what I know of Savannah her strong points would be her non-stop entertainment and creativity with your children. She probably sets up obstacle courses like the one she set up in our backyard yesterday for all the neighborhood kids. They are all younger than her but she is so happy out playing with them and always makes it way more fun for all.


 But if you want the baby whisperer. . HIRE CAMILLE.


Caroline is a sleep walker. She gets up because she has to go to the bathroom but she doesn't know what is going on and rarely can find the bathroom without help. Either right before we go to bed or soon after I hear someone racing back and forth down the hall. If we are still up on the couch we watch her and realize that though she looks at us she can't see us.  As fast as I can I lead her to the bathroom since that is the whole reason she is out of bed, though she doesn't seem to know that. 


Then she has to be escorted back to the correct bedroom.  A couple nights ago this happened and after helping her in the bathroom I decided to just turn her loose and see where she might go. 


First she ran into the wall. The lights were on. Then she went to the front door and started turning the knob. Luckily our front door knob needs to be replaced and is a bit frustrating to open at all even when you are coherent. She gave up after a few turns and came back down the hall, this time headed for her room. She never remembers any of this in the morning. I have heard of kids her age roaming the streets at night asleep. I have threatened to tie her to her bed.  Of course I am joking but maybe a leash that is only long enough to reach the bathroom but not the front door? I am sure that is a fire hazard however.


Marcus is a joy to hang out with every single day. He was so confused last week with our amazing 80 degree weather, as was I. It's back to the 30's this week, unfortunately.  He kept wondering how it was summer and what happened to the spring that I kept telling him was coming when the snow melted. He came in one day after soaking up the sun and said that he had a great idea. He said he knew how we could have a beach in our backyard. "Mom", he said, "We have the sand and the toys.  All we need is the water. And guess what? I found the water. " Then he pointed out at the blow up pool he drug out from the garage. 


Camille blew it up for them and they swam in it for a couple days. Global warming must be true if this is possible during March in NH.

 

Swimsuits are out of the box before Easter. 

Hard to believe I had a beach party in my backyard last week now that we are back to coats and gloves this week.


When we switched up the rooms Marco went from a bedroom with no door to a bedroom with a door that locks. It didn't take him long to discover the great joy of locking your door to others. He quickly started up the habit of locking himself in and then asking me for the secret password whenever I came up to get him out. For the longest time it has been "Please".  He always opened up directly when I knock and have the password, so I didn't complain much. Until last week. 


I knocked and he said his usual "Secret Password?" to which I replied, "Please" However, this time he said, "No. Sorry.  It's not please anymore. I changed it and it's a hard one." He refused to open up and wanted me to play the guess the password game and I wasn't in the mood seeing as we were late for church. Turns out the secret password was Marcus. As soon as we take the time he is losing this great little game he has going on and I am switching door knobs on him. We don't even have a lock on our bedroom door now and I am pretty sure we need the privacy more than 4 year olds and 4 month olds do.  


So who did I forget? Calvin. He is four months now and so much better. I didn't want to focus too much on his fussiness before but now that he is happy let's just say it is so much better. He stopped taking any bottle at all a couple weeks ago so I started him on some solid food. He immediately stopped crying so much and often sleeps all night long now. So I guess starvation is a good reason for crying a lot and no one blames him now. Look at that newly contented rice cereal man. 


I never thought it was hunger because he always quit crying when I picked him up but I can't help but notice that now he stays happier way longer. 


Brent, the dentist is taking his show on the road at some local grade schools on his day off. He did a 1/2 hour presentation last friday complete with a Grandpa Gum song, funny teeth costume for himself, and gift bags to take home for two different grades. He also made sure to throw in a magnet with his logo on it for their fridge. Of course! Marcus came along and thought Dad the traveling dentist was awesome. 

I am a fun mom

 Rye Beach, NH   Yesterday

This post documents that I possess spontaneity and can be fun sometimes. Not as spontaneous and fun as some of my daughters, but at least I drove them there. 

It is only 1/2 way through March, not even officially spring until next week. And usually not spring up here until May. It  even snowed several inches last weekend.

This was Marcus barefoot in our backyard Monday. So what were we doing at the beach on Wednesday? 

A couple of us were swimming. 

Camille and Savannah are totally insane.

The rest of us were on the shore shivering a bit wishing we weren't in shorts and tee shirts. 

They said it felt like ice. I reminded them the northern Atlantic feels like ice in August. I was afraid that one of the many beach walkers bundled up in their coats was going to report me for negligence/child abuse. 

So that's why you don't take your kids to the beach in the winter. They will swim. In their clothes. 

 All winter long Kennon has been complaining that I never take them to the beach. Especially since we got a new camera. She keeps saying, " Why do we even live here if we never go to the beach?" 


Yesterday it was 60 degrees. So I surprised them when they got home with the car packed with a picnic, camera and Marcus's beach toys, "Let's go to the beach!"


 I didn't pack any swimsuits. Savannah ran in and grabbed one.

Once at the beach it felt at least 20 degrees colder than it did at our house.  Marcus got wet up to the overalls. His favorite overalls that he has missed dearly all winter. 

 He dried off while chasing all the dogs that passed by. 

Kennon didn't swim but took tons of pictures.  And that's the whole reason we went anyway. 

I visited the second grade yesterday and enjoyed Caroline's class presentation. She spent most of her time smiling and posing for me.

And this picture shows that Kennon literally takes pictures of everything. Even our makeshift outhouse for Caroline at the beach. Calvin went too but we never got him out of the car seat for pictures. Too cold. 

 So that was a fun day. Most days unfortunately I get too busy to be fun and choose working instead when it's up to me. Only because there is always so much to do and it it makes me feel so good when I get it done. And fun can be a lot of work too. Especially when it involves a sandy beach deposited in my car. 


Lately I spend many hours painting. I painted all the basement walls then all the trim. Now I am going through this house room by room painting maple trim. 

Just because I can't stand the look of wood. Brent can't understand what I have against stained wood, but it's so boring and dated. If you ask me. 

My painting projects around here seem like they will never end. I love the work but hate all the slow progress since painting isn't the only day job I am juggling. 


I sometimes think I should just forget about home improvement until Calvin starts running around but so far I keep up the daily juggling. 
This actually is one reason I blog about our lives. It helps me to refocus on what's important. 


Parenting. . . not painting. 

4 year old Birthday

 Marcus turned 4 over the weekend and we all enjoyed celebrating with him. I hired my two usual decorators and they took care of party decorations and even. . . . 

THE ROBOT CAKE

They work cheap and I am always impressed with the results.

Kennon as usual took the party shots. This shot shows the back of a nice haircut Brent gave me recently, a very cranky Calvin that screamed during the entire party, and  our awesome neighbors Larry and Renee. They are the parents of Marcus's two best friends, Ethan -11, and Eli -7. Marcus requested spaghetti and meatballs and Ethan and Eli. That was all that he asked for. Four year olds are so much easier to please than 14 year olds. The neighbors brought Marcus his first remote control car.  A couple weeks ago Eli handed Marcus the controls to his remote airplane and he lost it up in a tree. We haven't been able to get it back yet. 

 Our talented photographer was able to capture the true excitement that comes when a four year old opens simple gifts. 
 Kennon gave him suckers. By the way, no one calls them that here. They are lollies and lollipops.

 Savannah gave him Cheese Puffs. His mother won't ever buy them and they are his favorite from nursery class.  

 Savannah also gave him something else I wouldn't ever buy. Perry the Platypus slippers. Aunt Candice is spoiling our kids lately because she is always looking for a new sewing project. Kennon got bedazzled slippers in the mail and she sent Marcus a personalized bathrobe. His name is stitched on the side. Marcus is styling now with his slippers and robe. 

And for the first time that I can remember Brent contributed to the birthday preparations. He went online a few weeks ago and bought his son a birthday present. 
Big wheels for rolling around the neighborhood. Marcus likes the flag the best. 


Caroline picked out a whistling bubble blower and it has been leaving soapy suds all over my house. 
His favorite gift seemed to be a harmonica from Camille. At least it seems to be judging from all the music I have heard since that gift was received. No wonder Calvin hasn't slept much today. Marcus keeps playing his songs right in his ear.

So we can't brag anymore about our 3 year old reading. Too bad. 


 I took this today after noticing that my 4 year old had been quiet for a while. I found him about 5 books through a row of his hooked on phonic books. He had lined about 20 of them up around the kitchen and then went down the line reading them one by one. I can't take much credit for a smart Marcus. He is self taught. 
  

Three Months Old

At three months Calvin joined his brother and we now have a boys room. 

That little move promoted a huge shuffle around the house. Brent and I moved upstairs. Marcus and Calvin moved up a floor to our old room. Savannah moved down two floors to her old room. Camille moved down a couple floors to share with Caroline. Kennon is the only who wasn't affected. Does my man love me or what? He just moved us all in last July.  I did the clothes and junk while he was away at work but left all the big stuff like beds and dressers for him. My husband thinks I need a new hobby. 

I like to reorganize things. I love change. I usually limit it to stuff like contents of my kitchen cupboards but sometimes I get bigger ideas. I started it all on my birthday because I knew that was the only way I could get away with it. It ruined the birthday but . . . worth it. . . now that's done. Now to redecorate. We can't have Camille and Caroline sleeping in a sailboat room.